This article examines the constellation of cognitive processes that underlie second-language (L2) learning, drawing on contemporary psycholinguistic theory and empirical evidence. The study integrates models of working memory, attentional control, implicit–explicit knowledge interaction, and lexical access to explore how learners internalise and retrieve a new linguistic system. A mixed-methods design combined eye-tracking with stimulated-recall protocols during an intensive twelve-week instructional programme for Uzbek-Russian bilingual adults acquiring English. Quantitative analyses of gaze duration and reaction-time measures were triangulated with qualitative thematic coding of verbal reports to trace the dynamics of noticing, chunking, form–meaning mapping, and automatisation. Results show that high phonological working-memory span and efficient executive control predict faster consolidation of morphosyntactic sequences, while implicit statistical learning mechanisms dominate the acquisition of low-salience grammatical cues. The discussion situates these findings within usage-based and declarative/procedural frameworks, arguing that successful L2 learning emerges from the synergy of domain-general and language-specific cognitive resources modulated by task design. Pedagogical implications point to adaptive scaffolding that targets the shifting locus of cognitive load across proficiency levels.

Second-language acquisition, psycholinguistics, working memory

Baddeley A.D. Working Memory. – Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2020. – 189 p.

Ellis N.C. Usage-Based Approaches to Language Acquisition. // Annual Review of Applied Linguistics. – 2015. – Vol. 35. – P. 135–156.

Krashen S.D. Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. – Oxford: Pergamon, 1982. – 202 p.

Levelt W.J.M. Speaking: From Intention to Articulation. – Cambridge (MA): MIT Press, 1989. – 455 p.

Robinson P. Aptitude, Awareness and the Fundamental Similarity of Implicit and Explicit Second Language Learning. // International Review of Applied Linguistics. – 2005. – Vol. 43, No. 4. – P. 269–294.

Swain M., Lapkin S. Interaction and Second Language Learning: Two Adolescent French Immersion Students Working Together. // Modern Language Journal. – 1998. – Vol. 82, No. 3. – P. 320–337.

Tobii Pro AB. Tobii Pro X3-120 User Manual. – Stockholm, 2022. – 64 p.

Ullman M.T. The Declarative/Procedural Model: A Neurobiological Model of Language Learning, Knowledge and Use. // Handbook of Psycholinguistics. – 2nd ed. – London: Elsevier, 2016. – P. 953–988.

VanPatten B. Input Processing in Adult Second Language Acquisition. // Studies in Second Language Acquisition. – 2004. – Vol. 26, No. 1. – P. 123–139.

Williams J.N. Implicit Learning in Second Language Acquisition. // The Cambridge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. – Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2012. – P. 319–340.